Kovacevic: Hockey heaven' You call it home

TribLIVE Sports Videos

Daily Photo Galleries

ST. PAUL, Minn. — What a hockey whirlwind these past 48 hours have been.

Monday in Winnipeg, my taxi driver was asking his radio dispatcher when Sidney Crosby might be back, I overheard two children in a store debating with their father which of Crosby or Evgeni Malkin was better, and the airport customs guy looked at my passport and asked me about Tyler Kennedy . Small wonder Manitoba native Arron Asham calls it "hockey heaven right now."

Tuesday, it was off to the self-declared "State of Hockey," land of 10,000 lakes that all make for potential rinks, host of a high school hockey tournament that's as big a deal as anything the Wild do all winter, birthplace of Herb Brooks and about half the roster of the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

It all reminds me a little of home.

That might seem crazy to those whose love of hockey predates Mario Lemieux's arrival, but a powerful case can be made that Pittsburgh has become the NHL's No. 1 American market.

Not so long ago, the indoor soccer Spirit drew more fans than the Penguins in the same Civic Arena.

Now, there have been 213 consecutive sellouts, and the season-ticket waiting list is at 9,000.

Not so long ago, the Penguins were the league's worst team, led in scoring by the great Dick Tarnstrom.

Now, since winning the Crosby lottery and adding Malkin and other luminaries, they are nothing less than the league's marquee franchise. They are the No. 1 seller of merchandise, the No. 1 national TV attraction, the No. 1 road attraction at the gate and, for what it's worth, the No. 1 magnet for squealing fans outside their hotel lobbies.

Not so long ago, only a handful of games were televised all season. Mike Lange wasn't just the voice of the Penguins. He was our eyes.

Now, the Penguins are No. 1 in local TV ratings and, stunningly, No. 1 in total households despite being the nation's 23rd-largest TV market. More total people watch the NHL in Pittsburgh than in New York! In cyberspace, the Penguins have the most downloaded mobile app and lead in Facebook friends (1,011,932) and Twitter followers (121,476).

Not so long ago, the franchise was broke, bankrupt, then on the cusp of leaving for Kansas City.

Now, Consol Energy Center is maximizing money at unprecedented levels during games, even as the Penguins rank No. 1 in the NHL in local broadcasting revenue and No. 1 in print revenue such as game programs and yearbooks.

Not so long ago, our amateur hockey was built on six rinks and a flotilla of mom-driven station wagons.

Today, in the steadiest of all these growth areas, rinks are everywhere, Western Pennsylvania players are sprinkled across the NHL, and there were just as many kids from Pittsburgh taken in the first 50 picks of the June draft as there were Russians. We even saw Gibsonia's Brandon Saad briefly making Chicago's roster this season months after being drafted.

That one just blows me away: It's no longer a big deal to see more kids from Western Pennsylvania drafted into the NHL than we're seeing in the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball.

"I give the credit for all of this, for everything that's happened in Pittsburgh, to the volunteers who make amateur hockey go," said Ray Shero, the Penguins' general manager. "I know it got started with Mario, and there was a rebirth with Sid. But to me, your foundation comes from people playing and teaching the game. Our volunteers, the moms and dads, grew up with the sport in Pittsburgh. It's theirs to pass down."

Shero is part of a line of prominent American builders to work for the Penguins, following Craig Patrick, "Badger" Bob Johnson and Brooks, all Hall of Famers.

It's impossible not to think of Brooks when coming to St. Paul. This was where he was born, buried after the tragic car accident in 2003, and it's where he is honored outside Xcel Energy Center with a statue. I got to know Brooks during his time with the Penguins and can attest that he had a soft spot for Pittsburgh, as well. He often spoke of his hope — one he held for the whole country — that hockey would take root in places other than Minnesota and Massachusetts.

What's happened in our city is much more Mario than Miracle, but Herbie would have loved it.

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Print Source

Welcome to PrintSource, a division of Trib Total Media.

We have established a veteran team that provides daily and weekly newspaper companies with a comprehensive set of services that include design, print, packaging and delivery of their products, all from one source and location.

Gone are the days when each facet of newspaper printing and delivery had to be outsourced to different companies and venues. Now, PrintSource provides a viable solution with just one phone call.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.